Social vulnerability and climate change: synthesis of literature

The effects of climate change are expected to be more severe for some segments of society than others because of geographic location, the degree of association with climate-sensitive environments, and unique cultural, economic, or political charac teristics of particular landscapes and human populations. Social vulnerability and equity in the context of climate change are important because some populations may have less capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate-related hazards and effects. Such populations may be disproportionately affected by climate change.

From the New Report:  Social vulnerability and climate change: synthesis of literature - United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service-   http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr838.pdf

This synthesis of literature illustrates information about the socioeconomic, political, health, and cultural effects of climate change on socially vulnerable populations in the United States, with some additional examples in Canada. Through this synthesis, social vulnerability, equity, and climate justice are defined and described, and key issues, themes, and considerations that pertain to the effects of climate change on socially vulnerable populations are identified. Based on an examina tion of diverse sources of information, the synthesis reviews what available science says about social vulnerability and climate change, and documents the emergence of issues not currently addressed in academic literature. In so doing, the synthesis identifies knowledge gaps and questions for future research.

Climate change has the potential to inundate, degrade, and alter the chemistry and composition of the Earth, and, in turn, affect cultures, economies, and social systems (IPCC 2007). These potential effects raise questions about how vulnerable populations will be affected, but it is unclear to what extent these questions are being acknowledged and addressed within the climate change laws and policies. Internationally, developed and developing nations are in negotiations to create a post-Kyoto climate agreement.

Nationally, countries are drafting and implementing their own climate policies and plans. Locally, communities are responding to the effects of climate change that are already occurring and preparing for those projected for the future. At each level, the needs, knowledge, and voices of vulnerable populations, including indigenous peoples and resource-based communities, deserve consideration and incorporation so that climate change policy (1) ensures that all people are supported and able to act, (2) provides as robust a strategy as possible to address a rapidly changing environment, and (3) enhances equity and justice.

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Areas of focus—

For human communities and the landscapes that sustain them, climate change poses risks to natural resources, institutions, infrastructure, and cultures. The degree to which communities are vulnerable to the effects of climate change depends on the nature of the effect as well as internal and external characteristics that comprise and influence human communities. A range of characteristics related to social vulnerability in rural and urban communities and within indigenous population was explored. These areas include:

1. Equity and justice, including access to and participation in the processes and outcomes of policymaking, as well as ethical and legal issues related to responsibility among governments and populations to address climate change.

2. Culture and knowledge, including the impact of climate change on current and future generations, local and traditional knowledge, sense of place, and treaty rights and access to traditional resources.

3. Adaptive capacity, including relative power among populations, ability to address climate effects, and access to social processes and resources.

4. The role of race, ethnicity, and gender in climate change in the United  States and Canada.

A range of natural and human sectors affected by climate change was also explored. Included were health, housing, transportation, economy and jobs, energy, climate-related hazards and disasters, water, natural resources (forestry, fish and wildlife, biodiversity, ecosystem services), food security, and land use.

 

 

 

The narrative above is taken directly from the report.

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